Three O'Clock High (1987)

This movie is absolutely brilliant! The whole movie is a launch pad for the fight scene in the end. I love the art of fight promotion. And this movie does it well.

The cinematography is awesome. The timing couldn't be better. This beats the Molly Ringwald 80's movies. They do an excellent job of capturing a REAL high school social atmosphere. Not just the jocks and the geeks. But the punks, the cheerleaders, the chess team, the preppies, and most importantly the many who don't fit into groups. Out of all the high school movies I've seen this one most resembles my high school.

This movie shows what just about all the different people think about Buddy Revelle. The camera floats by picking up on all the different clicks conversations.

The events leading up to the fight are perfect. Jerry does everything he possibly can to avoid the inevitable. The best is when he pays the captain of the football team to fight Buddy at lunch and when he tries to get detention by doing a vulgar book report in english.

This movie is very ironic and hilarious. The fight scene is the greatest. When Jerry walks to the parking lot the whole school is there. I laughed very hard. But the scene the next day after the fight is done even better.

Give it a 11 out of 10. Absolutely no weaknesses in this movie!

Fmovies: Why is this movie not up there with 'The Breakfast Club,' 'Heathers,' and other teen rite-of-passage classics? 'Three O'Clock High' is hilarious. The cinematography is as well-executed as the script, and laughs appear at just about every turn. The mixed nuts in the cast give great deadpan performances (Jeffrey Tambor kills me every time as he heartbrokenly surveys the vandalized school supply store -- 'what kind of animals would DO this?' he almost weeps), playing up the comic absurdity of the script. A wonderful farce that hasn't lost a bit of its charm in 12 years. Why Anne Ryan, the hero's girlfriend, disappeared after this movie is a mystery to me -- she should have become another Winona Ryder. Don't pass this one up if your local video store has bothered to keep it on the shelf. You can thank me later. And if you're leery because the movie tanked at the box office, remember, Milli Vanilli's record sold seven million copies, so trusting the mainstream public is not always the best idea...

This movie is not your ordinary geek vs. bully movie. It is one of the funniest movies of all time, and a joy to watch. To watch Jerry Mitchell's meltdown and subsequent boning up to the task at hand is hysterical as he goes to everything he can think of to get out of the fight with Buddy Ravelle. The movie is a perfect blend of humor, teen angst and cheer for the little guy action. Richard Tyson is in the role he was born to play as Buddy Ravelle and maintains a sense of menace delivering his notable lines. I don't understand why Steven Spielberg wanted his name taken off the Executive Producer LAbel. He should have been proud of this work.

Three O'Clock High fmovies. Some movies rely on youthful energy to get laughs and draw an audience. What many contemporary movie-makers seem to forget that high-school was an endearing time for almost everyone, and there are unique feelings that can be captured by a well-done, tasteful, artful film like Three o'clock High.

One of the thing that sets this movie apart is its pacing. It is very deliberate and methodical, and it expertly builds the tension as the clock nears in on three o'clock. Richard Tyson's performance is terrific; I don't recall any "bully" performances being anything like his. He is very menacing but introspective and intense. In a scene just before he fights another student, he is in the library reading a book. There are many subtle but illuminating bits like this throughout the movie.

In my nostalgic reviewing of 80s high school films, this is one of the few that seem even better now than they did then.

This movie has it all. A great premise, a slow build-up (with constant shots of the clock ticking toward the dreaded 3 o' clock), and a satisfying conclusion. I loved the opening sequence as Jerry has to rush to get to school on time (that groovy track "Something to Remember Me By" is on the soundtrack currently available on CD) and the movie just builds from there. This movie has a lot going for it, most notably Casey Siemaszko in the lead role as Jerry. I love this guy! I would have definitely hung with his crowd back in my high school days. Richard Tyson is the perfect school bully although he looks like he's much too old, he was probably around 30 in 1987. I love the use of exaggerated camera angles to heighten the effect of impending doom. Not surprising since Phil Joanou was a video director (he followed this up with U2: Rattle and Hum) Everyone looked like actual people and not perfect Hollywood actors. Really, if you have an afternoon to kill, I would check out this gem, currently available on DVD.

I have just discovered this film recently. It was never very popular, and I don't know why. I am surprised that a few people can't stand this film. After viewing the DVD a few times, I can honestly say that overall this is not a bad film. The directing is superb. I liked the way the director uses time...the passage of time...and shows its relationship and importance to the story. I also liked the camera blocking, and angles. My favorite shot is of the bully walking out of the school just before the fight: The camera zooms in and tilts up at a low level. A technique taught in film school to show a subject as "larger-than-life", or menacing over something. The acting was also excellent. Richard Tyson is great as the bully. His deep voice is well suited for this role, and is especially noted if you have a subwoofer. Yeah, I wouldn't want to fight him, either... Although the story is "typical", I like the plot-line. Throughout the whole story, the plot slowly builds to an amazing climax, then drops suddenly, and levels off. Its a perfect plot-line. Although, some parts of the story are "far-fetched". Such as, Jerry pretending to fall in love with his English teacher. One thing to remember, though, this is fiction. Sometimes in fiction, things happen that are unlikely in real life. That's why its called "fiction". Other than the bland "typical" story, I could not find anything wrong with this film. I have yet to even find so much as a continuity error. In conclusion, if you are looking for "content" you will be disappointed with this film. However, if you are looking for a well-directed film with good use of camera blocking and angles, and actor positioning, you will find this to be a very enjoyable film. ACTING: 9.1 / 10 DIRECTING: 9.4 / 10 STORY: 8.8 / 10

AVERAGE: 9.1 / 10 A lost Gem, and a must see for "film people".